EP1952861A1 - Game machine, game image processing method, and information storage medium - Google Patents
Game machine, game image processing method, and information storage medium Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1952861A1 EP1952861A1 EP06782666A EP06782666A EP1952861A1 EP 1952861 A1 EP1952861 A1 EP 1952861A1 EP 06782666 A EP06782666 A EP 06782666A EP 06782666 A EP06782666 A EP 06782666A EP 1952861 A1 EP1952861 A1 EP 1952861A1
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- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- viewpoint
- game
- screen image
- oscillation parameter
- game space
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- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
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- A63F13/10—
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- A63F13/00—Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions
- A63F13/50—Controlling the output signals based on the game progress
- A63F13/52—Controlling the output signals based on the game progress involving aspects of the displayed game scene
- A63F13/525—Changing parameters of virtual cameras
- A63F13/5258—Changing parameters of virtual cameras by dynamically adapting the position of the virtual camera to keep a game object or game character in its viewing frustum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- A63F13/00—Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions
- A63F13/45—Controlling the progress of the video game
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
- G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
- G06F3/048—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
- G06F3/0481—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
- G06F3/04815—Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- G06T15/00—3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
- G06T15/10—Geometric effects
- G06T15/20—Perspective computation
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- G06T19/00—Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
- G06T19/003—Navigation within 3D models or images
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- G06T19/00—Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
- G06T19/20—Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- A63F2300/00—Features of games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions, e.g. on a television screen, showing representations related to the game
- A63F2300/60—Methods for processing data by generating or executing the game program
- A63F2300/66—Methods for processing data by generating or executing the game program for rendering three dimensional images
- A63F2300/6661—Methods for processing data by generating or executing the game program for rendering three dimensional images for changing the position of the virtual camera
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- A63F2300/00—Features of games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions, e.g. on a television screen, showing representations related to the game
- A63F2300/60—Methods for processing data by generating or executing the game program
- A63F2300/66—Methods for processing data by generating or executing the game program for rendering three dimensional images
- A63F2300/6661—Methods for processing data by generating or executing the game program for rendering three dimensional images for changing the position of the virtual camera
- A63F2300/6684—Methods for processing data by generating or executing the game program for rendering three dimensional images for changing the position of the virtual camera by dynamically adapting its position to keep a game object in its viewing frustrum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a game machine, a game machine image processing method, and an information storage medium, and more particularly to improvement of the realism of an image representative of a game space.
- Games which use three dimensional computer graphics have become widely popular.
- an object (a game character object) representative of a game character is placed in a game space (a virtual three dimensional space), in which a viewpoint set in a position corresponding to the eyes of the game character object moves as the game character object moves.
- a screen image showing a picture obtained by viewing ahead of the game character (a viewing direction) from the viewpoint is produced on a real time basis, and the produced screen image is shown on a game screen on a real time basis. This makes it possible for the player looking at the game screen image to feel as if they themselves have become the game character in the game space.
- Patent Document 1 Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2002-292119
- the present invention has been conceived in view of the above, and aims to provide a game machine, a game machine image processing method, and an information storage medium which can reflect the movement of the viewpoint in the game space in the screen image to thereby improve the realism.
- a game machine for producing a screen image on a real time basis, the screen image showing a picture obtained by viewing from a predetermined viewpoint defined in a game space in a predetermined viewing direction, and displaying the screen image on a real time basis, comprising viewpoint moving means for moving a position of the viewpoint in the game space; oscillation parameter update means for changing a predetermined oscillation parameter according to movement of the viewpoint in the game space; and oscillating means for oscillating the position of the viewpoint or the viewing direction in the game space according to the predetermined oscillation parameter.
- a game machine image processing method for producing a screen image on a real time basis, the screen image showing a picture obtained by viewing from a predetermined viewpoint defined in a game space in a predetermined viewing direction, and displaying the screen image on a real time basis, comprising a viewpoint moving step of moving the position of the viewpoint in the game space; a oscillation parameter update step of changing a predetermined oscillation parameter according to movement of the viewpoint in the game space; and a oscillating step of oscillating the position of the viewpoint or the viewing direction in the game space according to the predetermined oscillation parameter.
- an information storage medium recording a program for causing a computer to function as image processing means for producing a screen image on a real time basis, the screen image showing a picture obtained by viewing from a predetermined viewpoint defined in a game space in a predetermined viewing direction, and displaying the screen image on a real time basis; viewpoint moving means for moving a position of the viewpoint in the game space; oscillation parameter update means for changing a predetermined oscillation parameter according to movement of the viewpoint in the game space; and oscillating means for oscillating the position of the viewpoint or the viewing direction in the game space according to the predetermined oscillation parameter.
- the computer may be, for example, a consumer game machine, a commercial game machine, a portable game machine, a portable phone, a portable data assistant, a personal computer, a server computer, and so forth.
- the program may be stored in a computer readable information storage medium, such as a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a ROM cartridge, and so forth.
- an oscillation parameter changes accordingly. Further, according to the oscillation parameter, the position of the viewpoint or the viewing direction oscillates. With the above, a screen image showing a picture obtained by viewing from the viewpoint in the viewing direction also oscillates. That is, when the viewpoint moves in the game space, it can be preferably reflected in the game screen image, thereby improving the realism.
- a character object may be placed in the position of the viewpoint in the game space, and the viewpoint moving means may cause the position of the viewpoint to move following the character object.
- the oscillating means may cause at least a part of the character object (for example, the head portion) to further oscillation according to the predetermined oscillation parameter.
- the oscillation parameter update means may change the predetermined oscillation parameter by a value according to a moving speed at which the viewpoint moves in the game space.
- the oscillation parameter update means may change the predetermined oscillation parameter according to elapse of time.
- Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a hardware structure of a game machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- the shown game machine 10 comprises a consumer game machine 11 having a DVD-ROM 25 and a memory card 28 as information storage media mounted thereto, and a monitor 18 and a speaker 22 connected thereto.
- the monitor 18 may be a home-use television receiver, and the speaker 22 may be a built-in speaker thereof.
- the game machine 10 operates as a sound player according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- the consumer game machine 11 is a publicly known computer game system comprising a bus 12, a microprocessor 14, an image processing unit 16, a sound processing unit 20, a DVD-ROM reader 24, a main memory 26, an input/output processing unit 30, and a controller 32.
- the respective structural elements other than the controller 32 are accommodated in an enclosure.
- the bus 12 is used for exchanging an address and/or data among the respective units of the consumer game machine 11.
- the microprocessor 14, the image processing unit 16, the main memory 26, and the input/output processing unit 30 are mutually connected via the bus 12 for data exchange.
- the microprocessor 14 controls the respective units of the consumer game machine 11, based on an operation system stored in a ROM (not shown), a program read from the DVD-ROM 25, and data read from the memory card 28.
- the main memory 26 comprises a RAM, for example, into which a program read from the DVD-ROM 25 and/or data read from the memory card 28 is written as required.
- the main memory 26 is also used as a working memory of the microprocessor 14.
- the image processing unit 16 which comprises a VRAM, renders a game screen image into the VRAM, based on the image data received from the microprocessor 14, then converts the content of the rendered game screen image into a video signal, and outputs the video signal to the monitor 18 (a game screen) at a predetermined timing.
- the input/output processing unit 30 is an interface via which the microprocessor 14 accesses the sound processing unit 20, the DVD-ROM reader 24, the memory card 28, and.the controller 32.
- the sound processing unit 20, the DVD-ROM reader 24, the memory card 28, and the controller 32 are connected to the input/output processing unit 30.
- the sound processing unit 20 which comprises a sound buffer, plays various sound data, such as game music, game sound effects, a message, and so forth, which is read from the DVD-ROM 25 and stored in the sound buffer, and outputs via the speaker 22.
- the sound processing unit 20, which is capable of processing a predetermined number of channels, plays mixing sound data assigned to the respective channels and outputs via the speaker 22.
- the DVD-ROM reader 24 reads a program from the DVD-ROM 25 according to an instruction sent from the microprocessor 14. It should be noted that although the DVD-ROM 25 is used here to provide a program to the consumer game machine 11, any other computer readable information storage medium, such as a CD-ROM, a ROM card, or the like, may be used. Alternatively, a program may be provided via a data communication network, such as the Internet, or the like, from a remote place to the consumer game machine 11.
- the memory card 28 is formed including a nonvolatile memory (for example, EEPROM, or the like).
- the consumer game machine 11 has a plurality of memory card slots defined therein, each for accepting a memory card 28, so that a plurality of memory cards 28 can be inserted into the consumer game machine 11 at the same time.
- the memory card 28 is removable with respect to the memory card slot and stores various game data, such as saved data, or the like.
- the controller 32 is a general purpose operation input means, via which the game player inputs various game operations.
- the input/output processing unit 30 scans the states of the respective units of the controller 32 in a constant cycle (for example, every 1/60th second) and sends an operation signal about the scanning result to the microprocessor 14 via the bus 12.
- the microprocessor 14 determines the game operation carried out by the game player, based on an operation signal.
- the consumer game machine 11 is adapted to connection to a plurality of controllers 32, and the microprocessor 14 controls a game based on the operation signals input from the respective controllers 32.
- Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a game space (a virtual three dimensional space) created in the main memory 26 of the game machine 10.
- objects such as a player game character object 42, a building object 48, and so forth, are placed in a game space 40, and a viewpoint 44 is defined at a position corresponding to the eyes of the player game character object 42.
- a viewing direction 46 is defined so that a space area in a quadrangular pyramid which extends in the viewing direction 46 with the viewpoint 44 as a vertex serves as a view range 50 of the player game character object 42.
- a screen image showing a picture obtained by viewing from the viewpoint 44 in the viewing direction 46 is produced using publicly known three dimensional image processing techniques, and displayed on the monitor 18.
- the player game character object 42 is an object to be controlled by the controller 32, and as shown in Fig. 3 is designed to (a) stop moving, (b) run, (c) jump, and so forth, in the game space 40 according to the content of an operation signal input from the controller 32. Then, as the player game character object 42 (b) runs or (c) jumps, the head portion 42a of the player game character object 42 oscillates up and down (b to d). While the player game character object 42 keeps standing still in the game space 40, the extent of oscillation of the head portion 42a becomes smaller until the head portion 42a eventually remains still (e). The extent of oscillation is determined based on the oscillation parameter stored in the main memory 26.
- the value of the oscillation parameter becomes larger as the player game character object 42 runs or jumps in the game space 40, and smaller as the player game character object 42 remains still.
- the viewpoint 44 is defined at the position of the eyes of the head portion 42a of the player game character object 42.
- the viewpoint 44 accordingly oscillates up and down.
- the extent of oscillation is determined based on the oscillation parameter value, similar to the head portion 42a of the player game character object 42.
- the viewpoint 44 oscillates that is, the position coordinates of the viewpoint 44 fluctuate up and down as time passes, the viewing direction 46 may be changed up and down as time passes.
- Fig. 4 is a diagram showing one example of a screen image shown on the monitor 18.
- the shown screen image is an image of a picture obtained by viewing from the viewpoint 44 in the viewing direction 46, which specifically shows a building object 48 placed in the game space 40.
- the viewpoint 44 or the viewing direction 46 oscillates according to the oscillation parameter value, as described above
- the content of the screen image oscillates up and down, as indicated by the arrow A in the drawing.
- the extent of oscillation changes according to the state of the player game character object 42 as described above. Therefore, when the player game character object 44 runs or jumps and becomes tired, or is recovered from fatigue after remaining still for a while, such conditions of the player game character object 44 can be reflected in the screen image, and the realism is improved.
- Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an oscillation parameter change amount table for use in updating the oscillation parameter.
- the change amount of the oscillation parameter is defined for each movement kind (that is, a moving state of the viewpoint 44) of the player game character object 42. Specifically, with the player game character object 42 walking (moving at a first moving speed), the oscillation parameter remains the same; with the player game character object 42 running (moving at a second speed faster than the first moving speed), the oscillation parameter is sequentially incremented by one; and with the player game character object 42 jumping (walking at a third moving speed faster than the above mentioned second moving speed), the oscillation parameter is sequentially incremented by two. With the player game character object 42 remaining still, the oscillation parameter is sequentially decreased by one.
- Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an oscillation extent table for use in obtaining an extent of oscillation of the viewpoint 44 or the viewing direction 46 based on the thus updated oscillation parameter.
- the oscillation extent table shows the relationship between an oscillation parameter value and an oscillation extent value in which, specifically, increase of the oscillation parameter from 0 to Pmax leads to increase of the oscillation extent from 0 to Wmax. With the oscillation parameter equal to or larger than Pmax, the oscillation extent remains Wmax.
- Fig. 7 is a functional block diagram for the present game machine 10.
- the game machine 10 comprises, in terms of function, an oscillation parameter update unit 60, a screen image production unit 62, a viewpoint moving unit 64, an oscillation parameter storage unit 66, and an oscillating unit 68.
- These functions are realized by carrying out a game program in the consumer game machine 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- the game program may be stored in the DVD-ROM 25, and read into the consumer game machine 11.
- the game program may be downloaded from a remote computer via a network adapter which the consumer game machine 11 may have for connection to a data communication network, such as the Internet, or the like.
- the screen image production unit 62 stores the position and posture of an object, such as the player game character object 42, the building object 48, or the like, placed in the game space 40, the position of the viewpoint 44, the viewing direction 46, and the kind of the current motion of the player game character object 42, then produces a screen image showing a picture obtained by viewing from the viewpoint 44 in the viewing direction 46 on a real time basis, and displays the produced screen image on the monitor 18 on a real time basis.
- an object such as the player game character object 42, the building object 48, or the like
- the viewpoint moving unit 64 moves the player game character object 42 and the viewpoint 44, which moves following the player game character object 42, according to an operation signal input from the controller 32. Specifically, the kind of motion of the player game character object 42, (whether walking, running, jumping, or remaining still), that is, the movement state of the viewpoint 44, is determined based on an operation signal, and the result of the determination is notified to the screen image production unit 62.
- the screen image production unit 62 updates the position and posture of the player game character object 42, the position of the viewpoint 44, and the viewing direction 46 according to the notified motion kind of the player game character object 42.
- the oscillation parameter update unit 60 changes the oscillation parameter stored in the oscillation parameter storage unit 66 according to the movement of the viewpoint 44 in the game space 40. Specifically, the motion kind of the player game character object 42, stored in the screen image production unit 62, is obtained, and an oscillation parameter change amount corresponding to the motion kind is read from the oscillation parameter change amount table. Then, the oscillation parameter stored in the oscillation parameter storage unit 66 is updated according to the read oscillation parameter change amount.
- the oscillating unit 68 reads the thus updated oscillation parameter from the oscillation parameter storage unit 66, and obtains an oscillation extent based on the value while referring to the oscillation extent table. Then, the oscillating unit 68 instructs the screen image production unit 62 to oscillate the viewpoint 44 or the viewing direction 46 up and down by an extent corresponding to the obtained oscillation extent.
- Fig. 8 is a flowchart of image processing carried out in the game machine 10.
- an operation signal input from the controller 32 is obtained by the viewpoint moving unit 64 (S101), which then determines the motion kind of the player game character object 42, based on the content of the operational signal (S102).
- the result of this determination is notified to the screen image production unit 62.
- the oscillation parameter update unit 60 obtains the motion state of the player game character object 42 from the screen image production unit 62, then obtains a oscillation parameter change amount corresponding to the motion state from the oscillation parameter change amount table, and updates the oscillation parameter stored in the oscillation parameter storage unit 66 according to the value (S103).
- the oscillating unit 68 reads an oscillation parameter from the oscillation parameter storage unit 66, and obtains an oscillation extent based on the value while referring to the oscillation extent table (S104).
- the oscillating unit 68 instructs the screen image production unit 62 to oscillate the screen image based on the oscillation extent.
- the screen image production unit 62 calculates the position and posture of the player game character object 42 and other object (S105) and also the position of the viewpoint 44 and the viewing direction 46 (S106). Then, based on the results of the calculations made in S105 and S106, a screen image is produced (S107). The thus produced screen image is shown on the monitor 18. Thereafter, the next time at which to update the screen image is waited for (S108) before the process at S101 to S107 is carried out.
- the viewpoint 44 or the viewing direction 46 can be made to oscillate according to the content of the motion. This allows the player viewing the screen image shown on the monitor 18 to feel as if the player game character object 42 has become tired or has recovered from fatigue. With the above, the realism of the screen image shown on the monitor 18 can be improved.
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a game machine, a game machine image processing method, and an information storage medium, and more particularly to improvement of the realism of an image representative of a game space.
- Games which use three dimensional computer graphics have become widely popular. According to one of such games, an object (a game character object) representative of a game character is placed in a game space (a virtual three dimensional space), in which a viewpoint set in a position corresponding to the eyes of the game character object moves as the game character object moves. According to such a game, a screen image showing a picture obtained by viewing ahead of the game character (a viewing direction) from the viewpoint is produced on a real time basis, and the produced screen image is shown on a game screen on a real time basis. This makes it possible for the player looking at the game screen image to feel as if they themselves have become the game character in the game space.
- Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No.
2002-292119 - However, according to the game using conventional three dimensional computer graphics, exhausting movement of the game character and viewpoint is not reflected in the screen image. That is, for example, an extent of tiredness of the game character, when the game character should get tired, is not reflected in the screen image. This leads to a problem of lack of realism.
- The present invention has been conceived in view of the above, and aims to provide a game machine, a game machine image processing method, and an information storage medium which can reflect the movement of the viewpoint in the game space in the screen image to thereby improve the realism.
- In order to address the above-described problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game machine for producing a screen image on a real time basis, the screen image showing a picture obtained by viewing from a predetermined viewpoint defined in a game space in a predetermined viewing direction, and displaying the screen image on a real time basis, comprising viewpoint moving means for moving a position of the viewpoint in the game space; oscillation parameter update means for changing a predetermined oscillation parameter according to movement of the viewpoint in the game space; and oscillating means for oscillating the position of the viewpoint or the viewing direction in the game space according to the predetermined oscillation parameter.
- According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game machine image processing method for producing a screen image on a real time basis, the screen image showing a picture obtained by viewing from a predetermined viewpoint defined in a game space in a predetermined viewing direction, and displaying the screen image on a real time basis, comprising a viewpoint moving step of moving the position of the viewpoint in the game space; a oscillation parameter update step of changing a predetermined oscillation parameter according to movement of the viewpoint in the game space; and a oscillating step of oscillating the position of the viewpoint or the viewing direction in the game space according to the predetermined oscillation parameter.
- According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information storage medium recording a program for causing a computer to function as image processing means for producing a screen image on a real time basis, the screen image showing a picture obtained by viewing from a predetermined viewpoint defined in a game space in a predetermined viewing direction, and displaying the screen image on a real time basis; viewpoint moving means for moving a position of the viewpoint in the game space; oscillation parameter update means for changing a predetermined oscillation parameter according to movement of the viewpoint in the game space; and oscillating means for oscillating the position of the viewpoint or the viewing direction in the game space according to the predetermined oscillation parameter. The computer may be, for example, a consumer game machine, a commercial game machine, a portable game machine, a portable phone, a portable data assistant, a personal computer, a server computer, and so forth. The program may be stored in a computer readable information storage medium, such as a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a ROM cartridge, and so forth.
- According to the present invention, as a viewpoint moves, an oscillation parameter changes accordingly. Further, according to the oscillation parameter, the position of the viewpoint or the viewing direction oscillates. With the above, a screen image showing a picture obtained by viewing from the viewpoint in the viewing direction also oscillates. That is, when the viewpoint moves in the game space, it can be preferably reflected in the game screen image, thereby improving the realism.
- In one embodiment of the present invention, a character object may be placed in the position of the viewpoint in the game space, and the viewpoint moving means may cause the position of the viewpoint to move following the character object. In this case, the oscillating means may cause at least a part of the character object (for example, the head portion) to further oscillation according to the predetermined oscillation parameter. With the above, the realism can be further improved.
- In one embodiment of the present invention, the oscillation parameter update means may change the predetermined oscillation parameter by a value according to a moving speed at which the viewpoint moves in the game space. With the above, movement of the screen image can be changed according to the moving speed, whereby the realism can be further improved.
- In one embodiment of the present invention, the oscillation parameter update means may change the predetermined oscillation parameter according to elapse of time. With the above, movement of the screen image can be changed according to elapse of time, whereby the realism can be further improved.
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Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a hardware structure of a game machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
Fig. 2 is a diagram showing one example of a game space; -
Fig. 3 is a diagram showing kinds of motion of a player game character object in the game space; -
Fig. 4 is a diagram showing one example of a screen image shown on a monitor; -
Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an oscillation parameter change amount table; -
Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an oscillation extent table; -
Fig. 7 is a functional block diagram of the game machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; and -
Fig. 8 is a flowchart of image processing carried out in the game machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. - In the following, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
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Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a hardware structure of a game machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The showngame machine 10 comprises aconsumer game machine 11 having a DVD-ROM 25 and amemory card 28 as information storage media mounted thereto, and amonitor 18 and aspeaker 22 connected thereto. For example, themonitor 18 may be a home-use television receiver, and thespeaker 22 may be a built-in speaker thereof. Thegame machine 10 operates as a sound player according to an embodiment of the present invention. - The
consumer game machine 11 is a publicly known computer game system comprising abus 12, amicroprocessor 14, animage processing unit 16, asound processing unit 20, a DVD-ROM reader 24, amain memory 26, an input/output processing unit 30, and acontroller 32. The respective structural elements other than thecontroller 32 are accommodated in an enclosure. - The
bus 12 is used for exchanging an address and/or data among the respective units of theconsumer game machine 11. Themicroprocessor 14, theimage processing unit 16, themain memory 26, and the input/output processing unit 30 are mutually connected via thebus 12 for data exchange. - The
microprocessor 14 controls the respective units of theconsumer game machine 11, based on an operation system stored in a ROM (not shown), a program read from the DVD-ROM 25, and data read from thememory card 28. Themain memory 26 comprises a RAM, for example, into which a program read from the DVD-ROM 25 and/or data read from thememory card 28 is written as required. Themain memory 26 is also used as a working memory of themicroprocessor 14. - The
image processing unit 16, which comprises a VRAM, renders a game screen image into the VRAM, based on the image data received from themicroprocessor 14, then converts the content of the rendered game screen image into a video signal, and outputs the video signal to the monitor 18 (a game screen) at a predetermined timing. - The input/
output processing unit 30 is an interface via which themicroprocessor 14 accesses thesound processing unit 20, the DVD-ROM reader 24, thememory card 28, and.thecontroller 32. Thesound processing unit 20, the DVD-ROM reader 24, thememory card 28, and thecontroller 32 are connected to the input/output processing unit 30. - The
sound processing unit 20, which comprises a sound buffer, plays various sound data, such as game music, game sound effects, a message, and so forth, which is read from the DVD-ROM 25 and stored in the sound buffer, and outputs via thespeaker 22. Specifically, thesound processing unit 20, which is capable of processing a predetermined number of channels, plays mixing sound data assigned to the respective channels and outputs via thespeaker 22. - The DVD-
ROM reader 24 reads a program from the DVD-ROM 25 according to an instruction sent from themicroprocessor 14. It should be noted that although the DVD-ROM 25 is used here to provide a program to theconsumer game machine 11, any other computer readable information storage medium, such as a CD-ROM, a ROM card, or the like, may be used. Alternatively, a program may be provided via a data communication network, such as the Internet, or the like, from a remote place to theconsumer game machine 11. - The
memory card 28 is formed including a nonvolatile memory (for example, EEPROM, or the like). Theconsumer game machine 11 has a plurality of memory card slots defined therein, each for accepting amemory card 28, so that a plurality ofmemory cards 28 can be inserted into theconsumer game machine 11 at the same time. Thememory card 28 is removable with respect to the memory card slot and stores various game data, such as saved data, or the like. - The
controller 32 is a general purpose operation input means, via which the game player inputs various game operations. The input/output processing unit 30 scans the states of the respective units of thecontroller 32 in a constant cycle (for example, every 1/60th second) and sends an operation signal about the scanning result to themicroprocessor 14 via thebus 12. Themicroprocessor 14 determines the game operation carried out by the game player, based on an operation signal. Theconsumer game machine 11 is adapted to connection to a plurality ofcontrollers 32, and themicroprocessor 14 controls a game based on the operation signals input from therespective controllers 32. - In the following, image processing carried out in a
consumer game machine 11 having the above-described hardware structure for improving the realism of a game screen image will be described in detail. -
Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a game space (a virtual three dimensional space) created in themain memory 26 of thegame machine 10. As shown, objects, such as a playergame character object 42, abuilding object 48, and so forth, are placed in agame space 40, and aviewpoint 44 is defined at a position corresponding to the eyes of the playergame character object 42. For theviewpoint 44, aviewing direction 46 is defined so that a space area in a quadrangular pyramid which extends in theviewing direction 46 with theviewpoint 44 as a vertex serves as aview range 50 of the playergame character object 42. In thegame machine 10, a screen image showing a picture obtained by viewing from theviewpoint 44 in theviewing direction 46 is produced using publicly known three dimensional image processing techniques, and displayed on themonitor 18. - The player
game character object 42 is an object to be controlled by thecontroller 32, and as shown inFig. 3 is designed to (a) stop moving, (b) run, (c) jump, and so forth, in thegame space 40 according to the content of an operation signal input from thecontroller 32. Then, as the player game character object 42 (b) runs or (c) jumps, thehead portion 42a of the playergame character object 42 oscillates up and down (b to d). While the playergame character object 42 keeps standing still in thegame space 40, the extent of oscillation of thehead portion 42a becomes smaller until thehead portion 42a eventually remains still (e). The extent of oscillation is determined based on the oscillation parameter stored in themain memory 26. The value of the oscillation parameter becomes larger as the player game character object 42 runs or jumps in thegame space 40, and smaller as the playergame character object 42 remains still. The larger the oscillation parameter value is, the more thehead portion 42a of the playergame character object 42 oscillates. - In this
game machine 10, theviewpoint 44 is defined at the position of the eyes of thehead portion 42a of the playergame character object 42. As thehead portion 42a oscillates up and down, as described above, theviewpoint 44 accordingly oscillates up and down. The extent of oscillation is determined based on the oscillation parameter value, similar to thehead portion 42a of the playergame character object 42. The larger the oscillation parameter is, the largely theviewpoint 44 oscillates. It should be noted that although it is arranged here that theviewpoint 44 oscillates, that is, the position coordinates of theviewpoint 44 fluctuate up and down as time passes, theviewing direction 46 may be changed up and down as time passes. -
Fig. 4 is a diagram showing one example of a screen image shown on themonitor 18. The shown screen image is an image of a picture obtained by viewing from theviewpoint 44 in theviewing direction 46, which specifically shows abuilding object 48 placed in thegame space 40. As shown, in thisgame machine 10, as theviewpoint 44 or theviewing direction 46 oscillates according to the oscillation parameter value, as described above, the content of the screen image oscillates up and down, as indicated by the arrow A in the drawing. The extent of oscillation changes according to the state of the playergame character object 42 as described above. Therefore, when the player game character object 44 runs or jumps and becomes tired, or is recovered from fatigue after remaining still for a while, such conditions of the playergame character object 44 can be reflected in the screen image, and the realism is improved. - In the following, image processing by the
game machine 10 will be described. -
Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an oscillation parameter change amount table for use in updating the oscillation parameter. As shown, the change amount of the oscillation parameter is defined for each movement kind (that is, a moving state of the viewpoint 44) of the playergame character object 42. Specifically, with the playergame character object 42 walking (moving at a first moving speed), the oscillation parameter remains the same; with the playergame character object 42 running (moving at a second speed faster than the first moving speed), the oscillation parameter is sequentially incremented by one; and with the playergame character object 42 jumping (walking at a third moving speed faster than the above mentioned second moving speed), the oscillation parameter is sequentially incremented by two. With the playergame character object 42 remaining still, the oscillation parameter is sequentially decreased by one. -
Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an oscillation extent table for use in obtaining an extent of oscillation of theviewpoint 44 or theviewing direction 46 based on the thus updated oscillation parameter. As shown inFig. 6 , the oscillation extent table shows the relationship between an oscillation parameter value and an oscillation extent value in which, specifically, increase of the oscillation parameter from 0 to Pmax leads to increase of the oscillation extent from 0 to Wmax. With the oscillation parameter equal to or larger than Pmax, the oscillation extent remains Wmax. -
Fig. 7 is a functional block diagram for thepresent game machine 10. As shown, thegame machine 10 comprises, in terms of function, an oscillationparameter update unit 60, a screenimage production unit 62, aviewpoint moving unit 64, an oscillationparameter storage unit 66, and anoscillating unit 68. These functions are realized by carrying out a game program in theconsumer game machine 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The game program may be stored in the DVD-ROM 25, and read into theconsumer game machine 11. Alternatively, the game program may be downloaded from a remote computer via a network adapter which theconsumer game machine 11 may have for connection to a data communication network, such as the Internet, or the like. - The screen
image production unit 62 stores the position and posture of an object, such as the playergame character object 42, thebuilding object 48, or the like, placed in thegame space 40, the position of theviewpoint 44, theviewing direction 46, and the kind of the current motion of the playergame character object 42, then produces a screen image showing a picture obtained by viewing from theviewpoint 44 in theviewing direction 46 on a real time basis, and displays the produced screen image on themonitor 18 on a real time basis. - The
viewpoint moving unit 64 moves the playergame character object 42 and theviewpoint 44, which moves following the playergame character object 42, according to an operation signal input from thecontroller 32. Specifically, the kind of motion of the playergame character object 42, (whether walking, running, jumping, or remaining still), that is, the movement state of theviewpoint 44, is determined based on an operation signal, and the result of the determination is notified to the screenimage production unit 62. The screenimage production unit 62 updates the position and posture of the playergame character object 42, the position of theviewpoint 44, and theviewing direction 46 according to the notified motion kind of the playergame character object 42. - The oscillation
parameter update unit 60 changes the oscillation parameter stored in the oscillationparameter storage unit 66 according to the movement of theviewpoint 44 in thegame space 40. Specifically, the motion kind of the playergame character object 42, stored in the screenimage production unit 62, is obtained, and an oscillation parameter change amount corresponding to the motion kind is read from the oscillation parameter change amount table. Then, the oscillation parameter stored in the oscillationparameter storage unit 66 is updated according to the read oscillation parameter change amount. - The oscillating
unit 68 reads the thus updated oscillation parameter from the oscillationparameter storage unit 66, and obtains an oscillation extent based on the value while referring to the oscillation extent table. Then, the oscillatingunit 68 instructs the screenimage production unit 62 to oscillate theviewpoint 44 or theviewing direction 46 up and down by an extent corresponding to the obtained oscillation extent. -
Fig. 8 is a flowchart of image processing carried out in thegame machine 10. As shown, in the image processing according to thegame machine 10, an operation signal input from thecontroller 32 is obtained by the viewpoint moving unit 64 (S101), which then determines the motion kind of the playergame character object 42, based on the content of the operational signal (S102). The result of this determination is notified to the screenimage production unit 62. The oscillationparameter update unit 60 obtains the motion state of the player game character object 42 from the screenimage production unit 62, then obtains a oscillation parameter change amount corresponding to the motion state from the oscillation parameter change amount table, and updates the oscillation parameter stored in the oscillationparameter storage unit 66 according to the value (S103). - Thereafter, the oscillating
unit 68 reads an oscillation parameter from the oscillationparameter storage unit 66, and obtains an oscillation extent based on the value while referring to the oscillation extent table (S104). The oscillatingunit 68 instructs the screenimage production unit 62 to oscillate the screen image based on the oscillation extent. According to the instruction from the oscillatingunit 68, the screenimage production unit 62 calculates the position and posture of the playergame character object 42 and other object (S105) and also the position of theviewpoint 44 and the viewing direction 46 (S106). Then, based on the results of the calculations made in S105 and S106, a screen image is produced (S107). The thus produced screen image is shown on themonitor 18. Thereafter, the next time at which to update the screen image is waited for (S108) before the process at S101 to S107 is carried out. - According to the above described
game machine 10, when theviewpoint 44 is made to move following the playergame character object 42 and the playergame character object 42 is made to move in thegame space 40 according to an operation signal input from thecontroller 32, theviewpoint 44 or theviewing direction 46 can be made to oscillate according to the content of the motion. This allows the player viewing the screen image shown on themonitor 18 to feel as if the playergame character object 42 has become tired or has recovered from fatigue. With the above, the realism of the screen image shown on themonitor 18 can be improved.
Claims (7)
- A game machine for producing a screen image on a real time basis, the screen image showing a picture obtained by viewing from a predetermined viewpoint defined in a game space in a predetermined viewing direction, and displaying the screen image on a real time basis, comprising:viewpoint moving means for moving a position of the viewpoint in the game space;oscillation parameter update means for changing a predetermined oscillation parameter according to movement of the viewpoint in the game space; andoscillating means for oscillating the position of the viewpoint or the viewing direction in the game space according to the predetermined oscillation parameter.
- The game machine according to claim 1, wherein
a character object is placed in the position of the viewpoint in the game space, and
the viewpoint moving means causes the position of the viewpoint to move following the character object. - The game machine according to claim 2, wherein the oscillating means causes at least a part of the character object to further oscillate according to the predetermined oscillation parameter.
- The game machine according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the oscillation parameter update means changes the predetermined oscillation parameter by a value according to a moving speed at which the viewpoint moves in the game space.
- The game machine according to claim 1, wherein the oscillation parameter update means changes the predetermined oscillation parameter according to elapse of time.
- A game machine image processing method for producing a screen image on a real time basis, the screen image showing a picture obtained by viewing from a predetermined viewpoint defined in a game space in a predetermined viewing direction, and displaying the screen image on a real time basis, comprising:a viewpoint moving step of moving the position of the viewpoint in the game space;an oscillation parameter update step of changing a predetermined oscillation parameter according to movement of the viewpoint in the game space; andan oscillating step of oscillating the position of the viewpoint or the viewing direction in the game space according to the predetermined oscillation parameter.
- An information storage medium recording a program for causing a computer to function as:image processing means for producing a screen image on a real time basis, the screen image showing a picture obtained by viewing from a predetermined viewpoint defined in a game space in a predetermined viewing direction, and displaying the screen image on a real time basis;viewpoint moving means for moving a position of the viewpoint in the game space;oscillation parameter update means for changing a predetermined oscillation parameter according to movement of the viewpoint in the game space; andoscillating means for oscillating the position of the viewpoint or the viewing direction in the game space according to the predetermined oscillation parameter.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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JP2005339719A JP2007143684A (en) | 2005-11-25 | 2005-11-25 | Game device, method of processing image for game, and program |
PCT/JP2006/315880 WO2007060770A1 (en) | 2005-11-25 | 2006-08-10 | Game machine, game image processing method, and information storage medium |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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EP1952861A1 true EP1952861A1 (en) | 2008-08-06 |
EP1952861A4 EP1952861A4 (en) | 2008-12-03 |
Family
ID=38067007
Family Applications (1)
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EP06782666A Ceased EP1952861A4 (en) | 2005-11-25 | 2006-08-10 | Game machine, game image processing method, and information storage medium |
Country Status (7)
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US (1) | US20090267943A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP1952861A4 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2007143684A (en) |
KR (1) | KR100977692B1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN101316637A (en) |
TW (1) | TWI294299B (en) |
WO (1) | WO2007060770A1 (en) |
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CA2798954C (en) * | 2010-05-10 | 2016-05-24 | Square Enix Co., Ltd. | Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and image processing program |
JP6298613B2 (en) | 2013-10-17 | 2018-03-20 | 株式会社ソニー・インタラクティブエンタテインメント | GAME SYSTEM, GAME CONTROL METHOD, AND GAME CONTROL PROGRAM |
JP6499728B2 (en) * | 2017-07-18 | 2019-04-10 | 株式会社カプコン | Game program and game system |
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JP4045513B2 (en) | 1996-07-25 | 2008-02-13 | 株式会社セガ | Image processing apparatus, image processing method, game apparatus, and vehicle game machine |
JPH10290886A (en) * | 1997-02-18 | 1998-11-04 | Sega Enterp Ltd | Image processing device and image processing method |
JP4114822B2 (en) * | 1997-12-05 | 2008-07-09 | 株式会社バンダイナムコゲームス | Image generating apparatus and information storage medium |
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GB2373039B (en) * | 2000-11-28 | 2005-06-15 | In2Games Ltd | Position transducer |
JP2002292119A (en) | 2001-03-29 | 2002-10-08 | Square Co Ltd | Video game program, recording medium having recorded video game program, character moving control method in video game and game apparatus |
JP3564440B2 (en) * | 2001-08-08 | 2004-09-08 | コナミ株式会社 | Moving image generation program, moving image generation method and apparatus |
JP4146320B2 (en) * | 2003-09-24 | 2008-09-10 | 株式会社バンダイナムコゲームス | PROGRAM, INFORMATION STORAGE MEDIUM, AND GAME DEVICE |
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2005
- 2005-11-25 JP JP2005339719A patent/JP2007143684A/en active Pending
-
2006
- 2006-07-25 TW TW095127059A patent/TWI294299B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2006-08-10 EP EP06782666A patent/EP1952861A4/en not_active Ceased
- 2006-08-10 US US12/092,027 patent/US20090267943A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2006-08-10 WO PCT/JP2006/315880 patent/WO2007060770A1/en active Application Filing
- 2006-08-10 KR KR1020087008917A patent/KR100977692B1/en active IP Right Grant
- 2006-08-10 CN CNA200680044139XA patent/CN101316637A/en active Pending
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Also Published As
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TW200719933A (en) | 2007-06-01 |
TWI294299B (en) | 2008-03-11 |
US20090267943A1 (en) | 2009-10-29 |
CN101316637A (en) | 2008-12-03 |
JP2007143684A (en) | 2007-06-14 |
KR20080046265A (en) | 2008-05-26 |
WO2007060770A1 (en) | 2007-05-31 |
EP1952861A4 (en) | 2008-12-03 |
KR100977692B1 (en) | 2010-08-24 |
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